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WYOMING
Income & Poverty

Other facts sheets for Wyoming:

The data below describe the state rankings and selected characteristics of the immigrant and native-born populations in Wyoming in 2011.

Rankings
The following shows Wyoming's rankings in several categories. All rankings include the 50 states and the District of Columbia and are ranked highest to lowest.
  Rankings
Number of the foreign-born population living in poverty, 2011: 50 out of 51
Share of the foreign-born population living in poverty, 2011: 36 out of 51
Numeric change in the foreign-born population in poverty, 2000 to 2011: 47 out of 51
Percent change in the foreign-born population in poverty, 2000 to 2011: 19 out of 51

Data Highlights
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Who are the foreign born?
The term foreign born refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the census who were not US citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent immigrants, refugees and asylees, legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization. By comparison, the term native refers to people residing in the United States who were US citizens in one of three categories: 1) people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; 2) people born in United States Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or 3) people who were born abroad to at least one US citizen parent.

We use the terms immigrants and foreign born interchangeably.

Earnings of Full-Time Workers
(This sheet describes earnings of civilian employed workers)

In Wyoming in 2011, 32.5 percent of foreign-born workers earned less than $25,000 a year and 26.6 percent earned $50,000 or more.
In Wyoming in 2011, 12.2 percent of full-time, year-round, immigrant workers (those working more than 50 weeks a year and more than 35 hours per week) earned less than $15,000 a year; 44.8 percent earned between $15,000 and $35,000; 16.5 percent earned between $35,000 and $50,000; and 26.6 percent earned $50,000 or more. In comparison, 6.6 percent of full-time, year-round, native-born workers earned less than $15,000 a year; 31.2 percent earned between $15,000 and $35,000; 20.3 percent earned between $35,000 and $50,000; and 42.0 percent earned $50,000 or more.

At the national level, 9.8 percent of full-time, year-round, foreign-born workers earned less than $15,000 a year; 40.9 percent earned between $15,000 and $35,000; 16.6 percent earned between $35,000 and $50,000; and 32.6 percent earned $50,000 or more.

Median Earnings by Nativity and Gender

Male immigrant workers had average annual earnings of $36,240 compared to $26,127 for female immigrant workers.
Among full-time, year-round, foreign-born workers in Wyoming in 2011, median earnings over the previous 12 months were $26,127 for women and $36,240 for men. The median earnings of noncitizen women were $25,154 and those of noncitizen men were $30,008. In comparison, naturalized-citizen women had median earnings of $26,708 and naturalized-citizen men $49,375. Among full-time, year-round, native-born workers, median earnings during the comparable period were $33,353 for women and $51,503 for men.

At the national level, median earnings of full-time, year-round, foreign-born workers were $31,749 for women and $35,918 for men. The median earnings for noncitizen workers were $24,347 for women and $28,507 for men. Among naturalized-citizen workers, women had median earnings of $38,419 and men of $47,547. Among native-born workers, median earnings during the comparable period were $38,044 for women and $50,056 for men.

What Was the Poverty Threshold in 2011?
Whether any family is considered below the poverty threshold depends on the family's total income before taxes, not including any capital gains or noncash benefits, such as food stamps or housing subsidies.

The Census Bureau's poverty threshold varies depending on the number of adults and children in a family. The threshold is adjusted each month to account for inflation. Because respondents filled out the American Community Survey in different months, the poverty threshold that is applied to each family depends on the month in which the survey was taken.

To give a general idea of poverty levels, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, the average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2011 was $23,021; for a family of three, $17,916; for a family of two, $ 14,657; and for an unrelated individual, $11,484. All members of a family are assigned the same poverty status. Poverty thresholds are the same for the entire United States, despite differences in the cost of living across US communities.
Population in Poverty

The immigrant population in Wyoming living below the federal poverty threshold changed by 79.1 percent between 2000 and 2011.
Between 2000 and 2011, the foreign-born population living in poverty went from 1,848 to 3,310, representing a change of 79.1 percent. In comparison, the foreign-born population living in poverty changed from 1,338 to 1,848 between 1990 and 2000, a difference of 38.1 percent.

At the national level, the immigrant population below the poverty threshold increased from 3,435,394 to 5,473,300 between 1990 and 2000, representing a change of 59.3 percent, and grew from 5,473,300 to 7,797,199 (42.5 percent) between 2000 and 2011.

In 2011, 18.3 percent of the foreign-born population lived below the poverty threshold.
In 2011, 18.3 percent of Wyoming's immigrant population lived below the poverty threshold, compared with 15.6 percent in 2000 and 16.9 percent in 1990. Meanwhile, 11.1 percent of the native-born population in Wyoming lived below the poverty threshold in 2011.

At the national level, 19.6 percent of the immigrants population lived below the poverty threshold in 2011, compared to 17.7 percent in 2000 and 17.9 percent in 1990. Nationally, 15.4 percent of the native-born population lived below the poverty threshold in 2011.

In Wyoming, 23.2 percent of noncitizens lived in poverty in 2011, compared to 8.2 percent of naturalized citizens.

Of the foreign-born population in Wyoming in 2011, 23.2 percent of noncitizens lived in poverty, compared to 8.2 percent of naturalized citizens.

Nationally, 26.3 percent of noncitizens lived in poverty in 2011, compared to 11.5 percent of naturalized citizens.

Families with Children in Poverty

In Wyoming, 14.1 percent of all foreign-born families lived below the poverty threshold.
In 2011, 14.1 percent of all families headed by an immigrant had incomes below the poverty threshold. At the same time, 20.9 percent of foreign-born families with children under 18 lived below the poverty threshold. Foreign-born families consisting of a married couple and children under 18 were less likely to live below the poverty threshold than families consisting of a female and children under 18 with no husband present (17.4 versus 34.1 percent).

In comparison, 6.3 percent of all families headed by a native-born person had incomes below the poverty threshold, as did 10.8 percent of native families with children under 18. As with foreign-born families, native families consisting of a married couple with children under 18 were less likely to be living in poverty than families headed by a female and children under 18 with no husband present (4.3 versus 32.5 percent).

At the national level, 18.5 percent of families headed by a foreign-born person had incomes below the poverty threshold in 2011, while 24.6 percent of foreign-born families with children under 18 lived below the poverty threshold. Foreign-born families consisting of a married couple and children under 18 were less likely to live below the poverty threshold than foreign-born families consisting of a female and children under 18 (17.9 versus 45.2 percent).

Language Groupings

Indo-European languages include French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Yiddish, other West Germanic languages, Scandinavian languages, Greek, Russian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, other Slavic languages, Armenian, Persian, Gujarathi, Hindi, and Urdu.

Asian and Pacific Island languages include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mon-Khmer/Cambodian, Miao/Hmong, Thai, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

Other languages include Navajo, other Native North American languages, Hungarian, Arabic, Hebrew, and African languages.

Population in Poverty by Language Spoken at Home

In Wyoming, 15.6 percent of persons who spoke Spanish at home lived in poverty, compared to 19.2 percent of persons who spoke Asian or Pacific Island languages, and 15.9 percent of persons who spoke other Indo-European languages.
Of both native and foreign-born persons in Wyoming in 2011, 10.2 percent of those who spoke only English lived in poverty, compared to 15.6 percent of those who spoke Spanish at home, 15.9 percent who spoke other Indo-European languages, 19.2 percent who spoke Asian and Pacific Island languages, and 49.1 percent who spoke other languages.

Nationally, 13.6 percent of those who spoke only English lived in poverty, compared to 25.4 percent of those who spoke Spanish at home, 13.7 percent who spoke other Indo-European languages, 14.2 percent who spoke Asian and Pacific Island languages, and 26.7 percent who spoke other languages.




Table 1. Population by Poverty Status in Wyoming, 1990 to 2011
 

1990

2000

2011

  Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Household Population of Wyoming for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined 442,630 100.0 481,215 100.0 554,314 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 52,245 11.8 56,129 11.7 62,629 11.3
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 44,678 10.1 49,811 10.4 42,479 7.7
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 345,707 78.1 375,275 78.0 449,206 81.0
Native Born 434,699 100.0 469,389 100.0 536,251 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 50,907 11.7 54,281 11.6 59,319 11.1
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 43,236 9.9 48,154 10.3 40,067 7.5
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 340,556 78.3 366,954 78.2 436,865 81.5
Foreign Born 7,931 100.0 11,826 100.0 18,063 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 1,338 16.9 1,848 15.6 3,310 18.3
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 1,442 18.2 1,657 14.0 2,412 13.4
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 5,151 64.9 8,321 70.4 12,341 68.3
 

Change 1990 to 2000

Change 1990 to 2011

Change 2000 to 2011

  Numeric Percent Numeric Percent Numeric Percent
Household Population of Wyoming for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined 38,585 8.7 111,684 25.2 73,099 15.2
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 3,884 7.4 10,384 19.9 6,500 11.6
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 5,133 11.5 -2,199 -4.9 -7,332 -14.7
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 29,568 8.6 103,499 29.9 73,931 19.7
Native Born 34,690 8.0 101,552 23.4 66,862 14.2
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 3,374 6.6 8,412 16.5 5,038 9.3
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 4,918 11.4 -3,169 -7.3 -8,087 -16.8
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 26,398 7.8 96,309 28.3 69,911 19.1
Foreign Born 3,895 49.1 10,132 127.8 6,237 52.7
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 510 38.1 1,972 147.4 1,462 79.1
100 to 149 percent of the poverty level 215 14.9 970 67.3 755 45.6
At or above 150 percent of the poverty level 3,170 61.5 7,190 139.6 4,020 48.3
Notes: Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing. 2. Data for Alaska, Maine, Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the US Census Bureau's pooled 2009-2011 ACS and for North Dakota and Wyoming are from 2007-2011 ACS. Data for the United States and the rest of the states are from 2011 ACS.
Sources: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), various years (see Note 2 above); 2000 Decennial Census; Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 5.0 [Machine-readable database]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2011.

For information about ACS methodology,sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here.

Table 2. Income and Poverty Characteristics of the Population in Wyoming, 2011
POVERTY STATUS BY CITIZENSHIP
Household Population of Wyoming for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined 541,296
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 10.1
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 17.1
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 72.7
Native Born 524,414
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 9.9
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 16.9
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 73.3
Foreign Born 16,882
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 17.9
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 25.3
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 56.9
Noncitizen 10,859
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 23.2
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 29.3
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 47.5
Naturalized Citizen 6,023
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 8.2
100 to 199 percent of the poverty level 18.1
At or above 200 percent of the poverty level 73.7
EARNINGS IN LAST 12 MONTHS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND WORKERS
(IN 2011 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)
Full-Time, Year-Round Workers in Wyoming Age 16 And Older with Earnings, 2011 203,579
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 3
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 3.8
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 14.1
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 17.6
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 20.2
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 24.3
Earned $75,000 or more 17.1
Native Born 196,605
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 2.9
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 3.7
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 13.8
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 17.4
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 20.3
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 24.6
Earned $75,000 or more 17.4
Foreign Born 6,974
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 5.7
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 6.5
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 20.3
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 24.5
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 16.5
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 16.8
Earned $75,000 or more 9.8
Noncitizen 4,471
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 8.4
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 7.8
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 21.4
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 26.9
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 15.1
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 14.2
Earned $75,000 or more 6.3
Naturalized Citizen 2,503
Earned $1 to $9,999, or loss 0.9
Earned $10,000 to $14,999 4.1
Earned $15,000 to $24,999 18.3
Earned $25,000 to $34,999 20.3
Earned $35,000 to $49,999 18.9
Earned $50,000 to $74,999 21.5
Earned $75,000 or more 16.1
MEDIAN EARNINGS IN LAST 12 MONTHS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND WORKERS
(IN 2011 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)
Full-Time, Year-Round Workers in Wyoming, 2011  
Male $51,178
Female $32,987
Native Born  
Male $51,503
Female $33,353
Foreign Born  
Male $36,240
Female $26,127
Noncitizen  
Male $30,008
Female $25,154
Naturalized Citizen  
Male $49,375
Female $26,708
SHARE OF FAMILIES IN POVERTY BY CITIZENSHIP AND FAMILY TYPE
All Families (Among Those for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined) 6.5
With related children under age 18 11.2
With related children under age 5 only 14.4
Married-couple families 3.1
With related children under age 18 4.9
With related children under age 5 only 4.7
Families with female householder, no husband present 26.0
With related children under age 18 32.6
With related children under age 5 only 49.4
Native-Born Families 6.3
With related children under age 18 10.8
With related children under age 5 only 14.3
Married-couple families 2.9
With related children under age 18 4.3
With related children under age 5 only 4.3
Families with female householder, no husband present 25.9
With related children under age 18 32.5
With related children under age 5 only 50.1
Foreign-Born Families 14.1
With related children under age 18 20.9
With related children under age 5 only 17.7
Married-couple families 11.3
With related children under age 18 17.4
With related children under age 5 only 12.2
Families with female householder, no husband present 30.3
With related children under age 18 34.1
With related children under age 5 only 36.6
Noncitizen 20.1
With related children under age 18 27.3
With related children under age 5 only 25.4
Married-couple families 14.9
With related children under age 18 20.3
With related children under age 5 only 15.3
Families with female householder, no husband present 54.6
With related children under age 18 63.1
With related children under age 5 only 80.3
Naturalized Citizen 5.4
With related children under age 18 9.4
With related children under age 5 only 4.5
Married-couple families 6.7
With related children under age 18 12.4
With related children under age 5 only 6.7
Families with female householder, no husband present 0.0
With related children under age 18 0.0
With related children under 5 age only 0.0
MEDIAN EARNINGS IN LAST 12 MONTHS BY PERIOD OF ENTRY
(IN 2011 INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS)
Full-Time, Year-Round, Foreign-Born Workers in Wyoming, 2009  
Male $36,240
Female $26,127
Entered the United States in 2000 or Later  
Male $29,458
Female $20,984
Entered the United States between 1990 and 1999  
Male $29,375
Female $29,038
Entered the United States before 1990  
Male $44,345
Female $27,625
FOREIGN BORN IN POVERTY BY WORLD REGION OF BIRTH
Born in Africa N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Asia N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Europe N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon) N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Born in Oceania N
Below 100 percent of the poverty level N
Note: 1. Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under age 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing.

2. Data for Alaska, Maine, Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the US Census Bureau's pooled 2009-2011 ACS and for North Dakota and Wyoming are from 2007-2011 ACS. Data for the United States and the rest of the states are from 2011 ACS.

The letter N indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), different years.

For information about ACS methodology,sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here.

Table 3. Poverty Status of Residents in Wyoming by Language Spoken at Home, 2011
 
Number
Percent
Household Population of Wyoming for Whom Poverty Status Is Determined, Age 5 and Older 515,846 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 55,198 10.7
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 460,648 89.3
Speaks Only English 483,109 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 49,454 10.2
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 433,655 89.8
Speaks Spanish 24,733 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 3,858 15.6
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 20,875 84.4
Speaks Other Indo-European Languages 3,141 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 499 15.9
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 2,642 84.1
Speaks Asian or Pacific Island Languages 3,349 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 644 19.2
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 2,705 80.8
Speaks Other Languages 1,514 100.0
Below 100 percent of the poverty level 743 49.1
At or above 100 percent of the poverty level 771 50.9
Note: Poverty status is not determined for unrelated individuals under the age of 15 (such as foster children) or for persons lacking conventional housing.

The letter N indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey.
For information about ACS methodology,sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here.

For data on these topics, click on the link: